New Wellington Interislander terminal down to the wire

Saturday, 22 July 2023

An artist’s impression of one of the new Interislander ferries.

KiwiRail is in a race against time to build a new Interislander terminal in Wellington before the first of two new ferries arrives in 2025.

In that time, land has to be reclaimed from the sea, and a new wharf, rail marshalling yard, terminal building, sea wall, link span and more have to be built. That will be while ferry operations continue on the narrow strip of land at the north end of Aotea Quay, hemmed in by rail lines and beneath the State Highway 1 motorway.

The first of the two new Cook Strait ferries arrives in September 2025 - 773 days from Friday and multiple sources are now saying the time frame is looking increasingly tight to get a terminal ready in time to accommodate it.

Looking back at the existing ferry terminal in Wellington from near where a new wharf needs to be built.

“KiwiRail is running out of time, they [barely have] a spade in the ground,” one well-placed source said this week.

Wellington’s new Tākina convention centre was built in 43 months, while Auckland’s Sky Tower took 33 months. It will be 38 months from July 2022, when the initial work was done at the Wellington Interislander terminal, to September 2025, when the first new ferry arrives.

Wellington is set to receive new wharf and ferry terminals, as the Interislander prepares for the arrival of two new ships but there are concerns about it being ready in time.

However, very little actual construction is visible at the site with the time frame now 25 months until the first new ferry arrives.

KiwiRail is in the process of a $1.45 billion project for two new bigger, greener Cook Strait ferries with new terminals in Picton and Wellington. Its Interislander business has been limping along in recent times with multiple breakdowns at times effectively severing the Cook Strait crossing, which it describes as “an extension of State Highway 1”.

National Transport spokesperson Simeon Brown said he had repeatedly asked if the terminal would be ready on time and was repeatedly told it was on track. He understood the terminal would not be ready, or it would be “very tight”.

“Everything is fine until it isn’t,” he said.

Kaiwharawhara Point is to be extensively remodelled with parking and rail lines. The new wharf will be near the right of the photo.

Transport Minister David Parker this week refused to state his confidence in the Wellington terminal being ready on time and referred questions to KiwiRail.

Acting Inter-Island Resilient Connection Project (iRex) programme director Stephen O’Keefe also refused to give his confidence the new terminal would be fully ready before the first ferry arrived.

“KiwiRail is constantly reviewing the project to ensure the necessary infrastructure will be in place when the new ferries are delivered in 2025 and 2026” he said.

“Some of this work will continue beyond 2026 but this will not prevent freight, passengers or vehicles from being able to access the new ferries.”

Resource consent was granted, under the Covid-19 fast-tracked consenting process, for the project in January 2023.

According to KiwiRail, there were some “initial” works at the site in July 2022, followed by “enabling” works since September on levelling Kaiwharawahara Point and a new vehicle marshalling yard.

At the site on Thursday, the former arrivals terminal has been demolished and some holes and trenches were being dug.

CentrePort ferries and bulk general manager Andrew Steele said the port company had made available all its land that was needed at Kaiwharawhara Point - land that juts into the sea north of the terminal - from September for “enablement” work.

“Further agreement is being negotiated for its ongoing use,” he said.